Local school board members are dedicated citizens who carry out the truest form of representative government—volunteer public service. School board service is perhaps the purest expression of grassroots democratic principles upon which our nation was founded.

In these challenging times, school board members are called upon to be the policy makers for our school district and are often called upon to make tough decisions. The week of January 20 through January 26, 2008, has been declared School Board Recognition Week by the Missouri School Boards’ Association. It’s a time for educators and citizens across the state to salute these unpaid volunteers who serve public education on behalf of their communities. It seems fitting that at least once a year we thank them for their time and dedication.

Being an effective school board member is no easy task. Lay school leaders need to be knowledgeable about many complex educational and social issues. Board members govern individual school districts, establish local policies, approve educational programs, provide necessary physical facilities, hire the superintendent, and share in costs by raising necessary local funds along with state funds to operate district educational programs.

School board members’ service ensures that decisions about our public schools are made as close to the needs of our children and communities as possible. Further, our local board members serve as examples for our young people of the excellent tradition of volunteering that is a hallmark of our society.

School board members face challenges every day. For their untiring personal dedication and commitment to public service, let’s give our school board members a hand.

Brad Smith, President

8 Years Service

Doug Clarkson, Vice President

9 Years Service

Roger Thompson, Secretary

5 Years Service

Brent Hettinger, Treasurer

7 Years Service

Traci Hill, Board Delegate

3 Years Service

Curtis Gordon, Member

6 Years Service

Matt Reeves, Member

4 Years Service

SPAGHETTI SUPPER

Come enjoy a great dinner! Brashear PTS will be holding its annual scholarship fundraiser on Friday, February 15, 2008 (Homecoming), from 5:00-7:30 p.m. The cost will be $4.00 for spaghetti, breadsticks, salad, dessert, and drink. Children under 8 will be $2.50. The concession stand will not open until after the beginning of the girls game and the regular kitchen will be closed. All proceeds go to fund the scholarships given each year to two seniors to further their education. We appreciate your support of this event.

Brashear PTS

MEMORIAL DONATIONS

The Adair County R-II School District wishes to extend our sympathy to the families of Annalu Ambrosia and Betty Winkleman. With their passing, the school, community, and their families have lost the presence of women who were truly dedicated to children and the ideals of education.

Mrs. Ambrosia and Mrs. Winkleman, together, devoted 38 years of dedication, determination, and spirit to this school district. It is fitting that we pay tribute to them and accept the generous gifts of the community in their honor.

In recognition of these gifts we offer the following thank you to:

The family of Betty Winkleman for establishing a memorial to the library in honor of Mrs. Winkleman. The donation was generous and will provide numerous books for the library.

Other donations in memory of Betty Winkleman include:

Doug & Paula Clarkson – Scholarship

Todd & Traci Hill – Library

Alan & Barb Clark – Library

David & Kathy Erwin – Library

Rick & Denise Brown – Library

Travis Freeman – Library

Betty Brown – Library

Dennis & Diane Bradley – Scholarship

Donations in memory of Annalu Ambrosia include:

Chuck & Anthony Ambrosia – Sports

Kenny & Teri Crandall – Library

David & Kathy Erwin – Library

Todd & Traci Hill – Library

Alan & Barb Clark – Library

Rick & Denise Brown – Library

ELECTION NEWS

This year we have had four candidates file for the three available positions on the Adair County R-II School Board. Those who have filed include incumbent Traci Hill, incumbent Douglas Clarkson, incumbent Curtis Gordon, and Shelley Story. Please remember to vote on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 for your local Board members. If you are not a registered voter, the last day to register to vote in the general election is Wednesday, March 12.

BRASHEAR TOURNAMENT

The Adair County R-II 79th Annual Invitational Tournament will be held from Monday, February 4 through Saturday, February 9 at the Brashear High School Gymnasium. We will host seven teams from Hannibal, Knox County, Macon County, Marion County, North Shelby, Novinger, and Putnam County. The tournament brackets are included with this mailing so you can find game times, etc.

Admission fees for the tournament will be $2.00 for students, $3.00 for adults with a maximum of $8.00 per family. The family rate is for parents and children only. It does not include grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Admission for senior citizens will be $1.00. We hope to have good community support, as we always have, for the tournament games.

We also ask you to remember our tournament is centered around winning, as is true in any competition. More important than winning, however, is the attitude with which the fans and athletes approach the game. As fans we must do our best to set a good example for those around us. Cheer for your favorite team in the spirit of the game and leave the officiating to the officials who are trained for the task. We wish for each team to play their best, and may the best team win!

STATE CHAMPS RECOGNITION

We will be honoring the 2003 & 2004 State Back to Back Champions, Class I Girls Basketball Team at this year’s Homecoming game on February 15, 2008.

Congratulations to this team on their past success and we invite the public to help us honor them by commemorating this five year anniversary. Parents and fans are welcome to bring cards or small gifts to present to the championship team.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH MENU

Breakfast each day includes milk and juice. The following items are offered daily for students to choose from in lieu of the main entrée: yogurt or peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Travis Freeman for his donation of LCD Projectors for the Art Room and Library

David & Kathy Erwin for their donation to the library in memory of Robert Taylor

Rick & Denise Brown for their donation to the library in memory of Clifford and Corine Evans

Dennis & Diane Bradley for their donation to the scholarship fund in memory of Crystal Lloyd

Books and scholarship donations make a lasting tribute to the memory of our loved ones. If there is someone that you would like to memorialize in this way, please contact the school at 323-5272.

FROM THE COUNSELOR

National School Counseling Week is February 4 - 8. This years theme is "School Counselors: Creating Pathways to Success". School counselors are here to help ALL students reach their full potential. They are committed to helping students explore their abilities, strengths, interests, and talents. School counselors work with parents, teachers, and community members to help students set realistic goals and become successful members of society. Adair County R-II School considers our guidance program an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success in school and in their futures.

Guidance Activities for February include:

Lincoln Tech Presentation for Seniors February 5

ASVAB Test for all Sophomores February 13

Senior Financial Aid Night 5:30 p.m. February 14

Sophomore Career Fair and Vo-Tech Tour February 15

Columbia College Rep February 26

Job Shadow Day will happen near the end of February. Job Shadowing through the guidance office is for students in grades 5, 7, and 10 to help them consider the many possibilities of careers available. Grades 5 and 7 will be encouraged to shadow a family member in their career while 10th grade students are encouraged to expand their horizons and shadow someone in a field that they are interested in pursuing after school.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS

There has been several parents on John's route that would like to have the route ran in the opposite direction for the 2008-09 school year. Currently John's bus travels in a counter clockwise circle to the North around Brashear. Changing bus routes is not an easy task and before making a decision, I would like to gain information on how the changes would affect those families on the route. The current proposal would have John picking up students along Hwy 6 first then heading North on Banner Way making a clockwise loop back to Brashear. Students that had been picked up first in the morning would now be picked up last and would be the last ones dropped off at night. Please keep in mind, nothing has been changed at this time and depending on where students live at the start of the 2008-09 school year will also affect bus routes. Please call, email, or write me your concerns or comments.

Mr. McHenry

TIGER PRIDE NEWS

Families with children enrolled in the Tiger Pride Before & After School program should have already received a statement showing their childcare expenditures for 2007. If you did not receive one, please contact Mrs. Kerby or Mrs. Bradley. These documents are important as they can be used at tax time as a deduction. Every little bit helps! :) If you feel you are eligible for or need government assistance with your Tiger Pride child care expenses, please contact Mrs. Kerby for the necessary paperwork. Thanks for entrusting your kids to us for Tiger Pride!

MUSIC NEWS

Have you seen one of those super cool looking band shirts? Want one? Order one from Mr. Haupt, jeremy_haupt@brashear.k12.mo.us. Cost is $15.

Brashear school is collecting unused instruments. Contact Mr. Haupt. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far!

PTS READING AWARDS

Reading Winners for December: K-3 Bailey Moncrief; 4-6 Marshall Goff

Reading Winners for January: K-3 Justin Leedom; 4-6 Becca Story

Thanks PTS for sponsoring this award.

COLLECTIBLE LIBRARY BOOKS FOR SALE VIA ONLINE AUCTION

Because of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s guidelines disallowing us to permit outdated copyrights to count toward accreditation of the library, we have been forced to remove older books from the shelves to make room for more current material due to our limited space.

This puts us in a dilemma with regards to disposal of this property. Many of the books with older copyright dates have been donated to the library by community members from our past such as Minnie Brashear, Oak Grove School, Normal Mound Library, Juanita Cook, Eugene Fichte, Star School, Ora B. Hunt and Elliott School. We recognize that beyond the dollar value, there could be a sentimental value as well.

Therefore the district is offering these books as surplus property for sale via an online auction in February. To access the online auction website, go to our home page at http://brashear.k12.mo.us/ and click on District Items For Sale At GovDeals Auction.

Offered for sale:

Assorted Collectible Books and Texts:

(Title, Copyright Date, Donated by)

The Complete Romances of Voltaire, 1927, Minnie Brashear

Synopses of English Classics, 1925

The Sonnets of Shakespeare, 1904, Minnie Brashear

American Literature: Literature in the Senior High School, 1941

Literature of the World Around Us, 1957

Beacon Lights of Literature, 1937

Life on the Mississippi, 1935, Oak Grove School

Poems (Ralph Waldo Emerson), Undated

The song of Hiawatha of Henry Wadsworth Long- fellow, 1917, Normal Mound Library

The Best of American Humor: From Mark Twain to Benchley,1938, Minnie Brashear

Additional information and pictures are available on the GovDeals website. The auction will be open from February 5, 2008 through February 20, 2008.

All items sold AS IS WHERE IS. Adair County R-II School reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to withdraw from sale any of the items listed.

The date and time for inspection of the items is scheduled for February 5, 2008 through February 20, 2008, from 9 AM to 11:30 AM or 12:30 PM to 3 PM. Please call 323-5272 to set up an appointment for viewing the items.

FEBRUARY

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

1

2

3

4*

5*

6*

7*

8*

9*

10

11*

12*

13*

14*

15*

16*

17

18*

19*

20*

21*

22*

23

24

25*

26

27

28

29*

4 Busy Bees—Here 8:30-11:00 a.m.

4-9 Adair County R-II 79th Annual Invitational Tournament—Here

11 Busy Bees—Here 8:30-11:00 a.m.

11 Early Dismissal –Teacher In-service—12:45 p.m.

12 Lunch w/ the Principal K-1

12 Varsity Basketball w/ Bucklin—There 6:00 p.m.

13 10th Grade ASVAB

13 Lunch w/ the Principal 2-3

13 5th Grade Girls & Boys Basketball w/ LaPlata—Here 6:00 p.m.

14 K-6 Valentine’s Parties—Here 2:00-2:55 p.m.

14 Senior Financial Aid Night—Here 5:30 p.m.

14 5th/6th Grade Basketball w/ Mary Immaculate—There 6:00 p.m.

15 Lunch w/ the Principal 4-6

15 Varsity Basketball w/ Novinger—Here 6:00 p.m.

Homecoming Dance

9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

16 NEMO JH District Honors Band Rehearsal and Concert at Macon

18 No School/President’s Day

19 Varsity Basketball w/ North Shelby—Here 6:00 p.m.

Senior Recognition Night

20 Jump for Heart—Here 3:15 p.m.

21 6th Grade Girls Basketball w/ Scotland County—Here 6:00 p.m.

22 Varsity Basketball w/Macon County—There 6:00 p.m.

25 - March 1 District Basketball Tournament at Linn County—There TBA

29 Elementary Awards Assembly—Here 2:45 p.m.

PRESENTATION OF U.S. FLAG

The Adair County R-II School was presented an American Flag in honor of Roy A. Love, First Lieutenant, United States Army. Lt. Love is affiliated with the Department of Defense Coalition Joint Task Force Phoenix VI Camp Blackhorse in Afghanistan. The American flag presented in his honor was flown in the face of the enemy by the Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors of Coalition Joint Task Force Phoenix over Camp Blackhorse during "Operation Enduring Freedom" on the 4th day of July, 2007 in honor of Adair County R-II School in Brashear, Missouri.

Thank you, Lt. Love, for putting your life on the line to defend our lives and preserve our freedom.